Process for making variegated soap

ABSTRACT

1,148,273. Extruding soap. COLGATE-PALMOLIVE CO. 11 Dec., 1967 [17 Feb., 1967], No. 56222/67. Heading B5A. [Also in Division C5] Soap having specks, streaks or striations of one or more colours is made by feeding soap of a basic colour in milled form to a screw 11, passing the soap through a multi-orificed die-plate 14 to form strands, cutting the strands into lengths by means of a knife 18, adding one or more colouring agents to the strand lengths within a vacuum chamber 16 and extruding the lengths through an orifice 26 by means of a screw 21. As shown, a single colouring agent is supplied from a chamber 21a via a needle valve 23 and a non- corrosive, e.g. stainless steel, tube 22. Chamber 21a is connected via conduit 31 to the vacuum source for chamber 16. Dieplate 14 is backed by a plate 15 having larger orifices and both plates are carried by a ring 19 pivotable to facilitate cleaning. Knife 18 is directly connected to the shaft of screw 11. Barrels 12 and 25 are provided with fins 28 and jackets 29 within which cooling liquid may circulate. Preferably nozzle 26 has a trimming action and shaves, e.g., a &lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt;/ 32 -&lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt;/ 16  inch thick surface layer, off the extrudate. In addition to the colouring agent, an emollient and/or a bacteriostat may be added via tube 22. If such a mixture is of a pasty nature, valve 23 may be replaced by a pump. Detailed examples are given in which the production of soaps having blue streaks on white and blue streaks on blue are described.

Dec. 23, 1969 R. E. COMPA ETAL PROCESS FOR MAKING VARIEGATED SOAP FiledFeb. l7, 1967 INVENTORS Russell Edward Compa,

Marvin Liebowl'rz BY WWX W ATTORNEY nited States Patent 3,485,905PRGCESS FOR MAKTNG VARIEGATED SOAP Russell Edward Compa, Emerson, andMarvin Liebowitz, Edison, Null, assignors to Colgate-Paimolive Company,New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 17, 1967, Ser. No.616,903 lint. Cl. 32% 3/12, 3/10, 3/04 US. Cl. 26475 4 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE An improved method of making soap is described whichcomprises contacting filaments or pellets of milled soap having a basecolor with at least one solution of a different color in an evacuatedchamber prior to vacuum plodding and extruding the soap.

filler, air, etc., and running the crutched mixture into a frame whereit is allowed to cool and solidify at ambient temperatures. The processis described as involving introducing soap particles into a plodderthrough an evacuated space, plodding the soap at a tempreature in therange of about 70 F. to about 120 F., and extruding the soap from theplodder as a bar which may then be cut into cakes, pressed and wrapped.As described in US. Patent No. 2,649,417 in the preferred embodiment ofthe invention kettle soap is crutched with desired addition agents toform a mixture suitable for a laundry or household bar, the mixturechilled without substantial drying to solid form, and the solidifiedsoap which may be taken from a chilling roll in the form of ribbons isthen compacted under a vacuum. As described in US. Patent No. 2,649,417the soap is discharged from the upper worm into a vacuum chamber throughwhich it falls on to the lower worm from which it is discharged througha nozzle as a bar of any desired cross-sectional configuration.

In contrast, the present invention provides for nonuniform distributionof color to provide striated or speckled variegated bar toilet soaphaving at least two colors in which white is considered a color. It isan bject of the present invention to provide a method for producing abar soap having a basic color, including white, having streaks ortear-drops of at least one other color. In general, a conventional Whitetoilet soap comprising fatty acid soap, white pigment, preservative andperfume is mixed and milled on conventional equipment and fed into thetop worm of a double-barrel vacuum plodder such as described andillustrated in US. Patent No. 2,649,- 417. The soap travels through thetop barrel and is extruded therefrom as spaghetti-like filaments and/ orpellets into an evacuated chamber enclosing the discharge end of the topworm and the feed end of the bottom worm. Through the housing of thevacuum chamber is introduced a tube fabricated of material capable ofretaining its shape under a vacuum of twenty to twenty-nine inches,substantially inert to the soap, substantially noncorrosive, andpreferably of stainless steel. The aforesaid tube extends into theaforesaid vacuum cham er with its discharge end or outlet located overthe bottom worm. Attached to the other or inlet end of the aforesaidtube is a feed vessel or hopper kept under substantially the samepressure as the vacuum chamber of the double barrel plodder. A needlevalve is interposed between the feed vessel or hopper and the aforesaidtube to regulate the flow of the solution from the feed vessel or hopperthrough the tube to the vacuum chamber between the top and bottombarrels of the double barrel plodder. The feed vessel containing colorsolution of the concentration to provide a contrast with the basic colorof the feed soap is sealed and kept under substantially the same reducedpressure as is being used within the vacuum chamber. As the pelletsand/or spaghetti-like filaments fall from the top worm through thevacuum chamber to the bottom worm, the needle valve at the feed vesselor hopper is adjusted to cause the solution of color to drop on thepellets and/or filaments of soap at a rate required to provide thedesired streaks in the extruded bar of soap. The extruded bar is cutinto desired lengths and pressed.

The milled soap is fed into an opening 10' in any suitable manner andonto a top worm 11 which rotates within an upper cylinder 12. The topworm carries the soap forward, that is from left to right in thedrawing, and at the same time compacts or compresses it and subjects itto a certain amount of levigation. The soap is thus forced through agrinding head 13 and a foraminous plate 14 and through the holes of abacking plate 15 into an evacuated chamber 16. The grinding head 13 isdirectly attached to the Worm 11 and rotates with the worm. The screenor foraminous plate 14 consists of a sheet metal disc having a myriad ofsmall holes. It is supported at its periphery by rings 17 and is backedby a heavy plate 15 which has a large number of relatively larger holes.Behind this backing plate is set a four bladed knife 18, which isdirectly fastened to the worm 11 and rotates with it, thus serving tocut the filaments of soap which are extruded through the screen 14 bythe upper worm 11 into convenient lengths for feeding to the remainderof the apparatus. The screen 14 and the backing plate 15 are carried byring 19 which is fastened to the upper cylinder 12 by a hinge, so thatwhen it is desirable to clean the screen, access to it may be hadreadily.

The filaments of soap, after being cut into convenient lengths asdescribed above, fall by gravity through an opening 20 onto a lower worm21 (while still under vacuum). While falling through the opening 20, orafter falling through the opening 20, the short filaments of soap arecontacted by a solution of a color flowing from a container 210: througha tube 22 under control of a valve 23, which preferably is a valvepermitting close control of the flow of liquid in the tube 22, such as aneedle valve. The container 21a is maintained under substantially thesame reduced pressure, i.e., 20 to 29 inches of vacuum, as the chamber16, in any suitable manner. The lower worm 21 rotates in a lowercylinder 25 and compacts and forces the soap forward through a nozzle26. This nozzle is constructed in the usual fashion and is provided witha nozzle jacket 27.

Preferably, the nozzle 26 is one having cutting edges which shave-offthe outer one-thirtysecond to one-sixteenth ,4, to of an inch of thesurface as the bar is extruded through the nozzle. For example, thestructure described in Austrian Patent No. 95,947 (Sept. 15, 1923) givessatisfactory results. The trimmings so pro duced can be returned to themixer when the base color of a succeeding batch is the same as orsimilar to that used as the second color in the batch from which theaforesaid trimmings are obtained. Thus, blue trimmings can be added to abatch having blue as the base color.

Both the upper cylinder 12 and the lower cylinder 25 are provided withfins 28 and jackets 29 so that coolant can be circulated around thecylinders 12 and 25 to maintain the temperature of the soap being forcedthrough the cylinders by the worms suificiently low to ensure theproduction of a bar of soap of proper consistency and plasticity inaccordance with ordinary practice. The present invention contemplatessubjecting the extruded bar to a conditioning step prior to the pressingoperation, if desired. This conditioning operation may precede or followthe cutting of the extruded bar into individual cakes and it can becarried out in any one or more of a number of different ways as brieflydescribed in US. Patent No. 2,649,417.

Illustrative of the production of bars of soap having variegatedappearance are the following examples.

EXAMPLE I Blue streaks on white Chips of soap comprising percent coconutfatty acid soap and 85 percent hydrogenated tallow acids sodium soap aremixed with titanium dioxide, preservative and perfume in the proportionsgiven hereinafter Ingredient: Weight percent 15:85 coco:tallow sodiumsoap chips 98.10 Titanium dioxide 0.50 Preservative 0.20 Perfume H 1.20

The soap chips, white pigment, preservative, and perfume are mixed andmilled. The milled chips are fed into the top worm of a double-barrelvacuum plodder. As the filaments drop through opening a five percentaqueous solution of a compatible dye such as Heliogen- Blue is droppedonto the filaments and/or pellets at a predetermined rate to produce thedesired streaks of the desired depth of color. Since the number ofstreaks and the depth of color is a matter of aesthetics, the rate offlow is a matter of local opinion and can be as low as 0.1 gram perpound of soap.

EXAMPLE II Blue streaks on blue soap Milled soap chips having thecomposition given hereinafter are fed to the top worm of a double-barrelplodder- Ingredient: Weight percent 15:85 cocoztallow sodium soap chips95.470 Titanium dioxide 0.150 Aqueous 50% stannic chloride 0.200 2%aqueous solution of D&C Green dye No. 5 0.250 1% solution external D&Cviolet dye 0.250 50% aqueous sodium salt of B-glucoheptonic acid 0.200Trichlorocarbanilide 1.000 Cold cream 1 1.500 Perfume 0.980

1 See the following table: Percent Deionized water 11.35

Borax 0.10

Potassium carbonate 0.05

Beeswax 2.95

Paraflin, M.P. 52.5" C. 4.05

Lanolin, anhydrous 60.70

Mineral oil (light) specific gravity at 156 C.

0.840 to 0.870; viscosity SUS at 100 F. 80-

95 sec.; flash point Taglibue closed-cup 330 F. minimum a- 14.80

As the soap chips fall through the opening 20 they are contacted at therate of about one gram of solution per pound of soap with a 50/50 blendby weight of a two percent solution of D&C No. 5 green dye and a onepercent solution of extract D&C violet No. 2 dye.

EXAMPLE III Blue streaks on blue soap Ingredient: Weight percent 15:85coco:tall0w sodium soap chips 95.470 Titanium dioxide 0.150 Aqueous 50%stannic chloride 0.200

2% aqueous solution D&C No. 5, green dye 0.125 1% solution external D&CNo. 2 violet dye 0.125 5 0% aqueous sodium salt of B-glucoheptonic BoraxPotassium carbonate Beeswax Parafiin. Ml. 52.5 C. Lanolin, anhydrousMineral oil (light) specific gravity at 15.6 C. 0.840 to 0.870;viscosity SUS at 100 F. see; flash point Taglibue closed-cup 330 F.minimum Milled soap chips having the composition set forth in ExampleIII are fed to the top Worm of a double-barrel plodder. As the chipsfall through the opening 20 they are contacted at the rate of about 0.5gram of solution per pound of soap with a 50/50 weight blend of a twopercent solution of D&C Green No. 5 dye and a one percent solution ofD&C Violet No. 2 dye.

The color or if desired color and additional constituent such asemollient, can be added simultaneously through the tube 22. When bothcolor and emollient are added and particularly when the mixture is in apaste or slurry form, the valve 23 can be eliminated and a smallpositive displacement pump synchronized with the plodder drive employed.

The blanks cut from the extruded bar can be pressed on a conventionalrotary press or on a modified pin die press. When the latter press isused the bars can be pressed on end, which gives an interesting andunusual design seemingly emanating from the center of the bar.

The present method of producing bar soap having streaks or the like ofcolor different from primary or background color, including white, ofthe bar does not involve multiple mixing and milling and extrusionoperations or the need of costly equipment required for the practice ofprior art methods of producing variegated soap bars.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method of making a milled and vacuum plodded soap bar theimprovement which comprises contacting extruded filaments or pellets ofmilled soap having a base color in an evacuated chamber with at leastone solution of a color different from the base color of said milledsoap prior to plodding and extruding the soap at a temperature of about70 F. to about F. whereby a bar is formed having a base color andstriations or tear drops of at least one other color therein.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said soap is plodded priorto being formed into filaments or pellets.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein the contacting of said soapwith said color solution is intermittant.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said color is admixed withan emollient prior to contacting with said milled soap.

(References on following page) JULIUS FROME, Primary Examiner T. MORRIS,Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1942 Garvey '264245 8/1953Compa 252-109 5

